The National Institute of Correction’s Advisory Board is a 16-member panel appointed by the Attorney General to advise and assist the Institute in performing its mission. The current board was sworn in by Attorney General Eric Holder in March, 2011. Past NIC Advisory Boards have periodically organized hearings to explore important topics of concern to corrections professionals and decision makers. The purposes of the hearings are to:

• Educate the NIC Advisory Board about important trends in corrections-related policy, programs, and practices.
• Provide the NIC with input and advice from the field that can be integrated into the Institute’s vision and strategic plan.
• Help the NIC in achieving a high level of excellence in identifying and meeting the needs of the field of corrections.

The board held two hearings in 2011-2012.

2011

Shifting the Focus to Reshape Our Thinking Toward Performance-Based Outcomes

This was the first hearing, held at Paul Brest Hall at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, on November 2nd and 3rd, 2011.

The program included a number of nationally recognized experts in the field of corrections including both practitioners and academics.

Highlights for Wednesday, November 2, 2011:

• Secretary Matthew Cate of the California Department of Corrections discussing California’s recent experiences.
• Dr. Joan Petersilia, Stanford University, Law School, on the “A Looking Glass Approach to Corrections”
• Special panel presentations on
  • “Initiatives Driving Today’s Correctional Culture”,
  • “Views from a Different Perspective”, and
  • “Successful Correctional Culture Change Case Studies”.

Panelists included:

• Karin Ho, Administrator, Office of Victim Services, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections;
• Tim Murray, Executive Director, Pretrial Justice Institute, Washington, D.C.;
• Alex Busansky, President, National Council on Crime and Delinquency;
• Pam Rodriguez, President , Treatment Alternatives for Safe Communities;
• Lovisa Stannow, Executive Director, Just Detention International;
• Steve Martin, Consultant; Lee Baca, Sheriff Los Angeles County;
• Harold Clarke, Director, Virginia Department of Corrections;
• Scott Taylor, Director, Department of Community Justice Multnomah County, Oregon; and
• Pat Caruso, Corrections Consultant and Former Director of the Michigan Department of Corrections.

Highlights for Thursday, November 3, 2011:

• Special panel Presentations on,
  • “Rethinking Climate and Culture in Corrections” and
  • “Leading Successful Culture Change”.

Panelists included:

• Jim Coleman, Director, Shelby County Tennessee Corrections;
• Marilyn Chandler Ford, Ph.D., Director, Volusia Division of County Corrections;
• Don Head, Commissioner, Correctional Services of Canada;
• Cherie Townsend, Executive Director, Texas Youth Commission;
• Joe McCannon, Senior Advisor, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Department of Health and Human Services; and
• Harry Hertz, Director, Baldridge Performance Excellence, Department of Commerce.

Additional details are provided in the attachment titled ab-hearing-fullrom-approved-2011.pdf

2012

Balancing Fiscal Challenges, Peformance-Based Budgeting, and Public Safety

The second hearing was on the subjects of budgets, cost containment, and population management in corrections. It was held in Washington, D.C. on August 22-23, 2012.

The panels from this hearing covered the following topic areas:

• The Fiscal Costs of Corrections in the United States
• Outcome-based Budgeting: Process and Practice
• Cost-Effective Strategies for Meeting Policy Requirements and Legislative Mandates
• Reengineering Population Management
• Budgetary Approaches to Providing Services for Offender Health Care
• Innovative Cost Saving Strategies
• Opportunity versus Obligations
• Capability and Capacity: Understanding NIC’s Delivery of Services

The 24 witnesses who testified at the hearing are listed below:

• Franklin Amanat, Esq., Assistant United States Attorney in the Eastern District of New York
• J. John Ashe, Superintendent of the Hampden County Correctional Center
• Dr. James Austin, President, JFA Institute
• Madeline “Mimi” Carter, Principal, Center for Effective Public Policy
• Jim Cosby, Chief, Community Services Division, National Institute of Corrections
• Dr. Jim Degroot, Mental Health Director, Georgia Department of Corrections
• Adam Gelb, Director, Public Safety Performance Project, Pew Center on the States
• James A. Gondles, Executive Director, American Correctional Association
• Stan Hilkey, Sheriff, Mesa County Sheriff’s Department
• Dr. Christopher Innes, Chief, Research and Information Services, National Institute of Corrections
• Michael Jacobson, President and Director, Vera Institute
• Captain A. Martin Johnston, R.Ph., Chief, Pharmacy Logistic Support, U.S. Public Health Service, Federal Bureau of Prisons
• Dr. Newton Kendig, Assistant Director, Health Services Division, Federal Bureau of Prisons
• Theresa Lantz, Consultant, Retired Commissioner of Connecticut
• Dr. Mary Livers, Deputy Secretary, Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice
• Sandra Matheson, Director, Office of Victim/Witness Assistance
• Gary Mohr, Director, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction
• Ed Monahan, Chair, American Council of Defenders, Kentucky Public Advocate, Department of Public Advocacy
• Joseph Ponte, Commissioner, Maine Department of Corrections
• Brian Sigritz, Director of State Fiscal Studies, National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO)
• Mindy Tarlow, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Center for Employment Opportunities
• Gary VanLandingham, Director, Results First, Pew Center on the State
• Bernard Warner, Secretary of Corrections, Washington State Department of Corrections
• Dr. Reginald Wilkinson, President and CEO of the Ohio College Access Network
• Karen Wilson, Partner, Pricewaterhouse Coopers

Additional details are provided in the attachment titled ab-hearing-fullrom-approved-2012_.pdf

Advisory Board Outcomes & Attachments

The following files are the publicly available Open Hearing minutes and the outcomes from subsequent Advisory Board meetings from 2011 to present.